2005 LOTUS ELISE seat

regulations, and should be handled only by your dealer.
• If you sell your Lotus, notify the purchaser that the car is equipped with airbags, and refer them to ‘Airbag Safety
System’ in this handbook (safety and disposal rules).
• Further information on the airbag system can be found
on stickers on the sun visors.
• For important recommendations on the use of child restraints, please refer to ‘Child Restraints’ in this hand
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book. Never use a rear facing child seat in your Elise.
• A crash can damage the restraint systems in your car. A damaged restraint system may not properly protect the
person using it, resulting in serious injury or even death
in a crash. To help make sure your restraint systems are
working properly after a crash, have them inspected and
any necessary replacements made as soon as possible.
Seating & Safety Restraints
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Child Restraints
WARNING:
Lotus strongly recommends that children are not car
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ried in the Elise due to the risk of death or serious injury if the child is too close to the dashboard when the airbag
inflates.

Accident statistics show that children are safer when properly
restrained in the back seats of cars, an option unavailable on
this model. In addition, your car is equipped with a passenger’s airbag which poses serious risks to children - particularly infants
and small children. If, nevertheless, a child is to be carried in the
car, the following notes are provided for guidance:
When a child is of a physical size whereby the standard
fitment lap and diagonal seat belt will fit satisfactorily, with the belt positioned over the collar bone and against the centre of
the chest, the standard seat and seat belt should be used. If the
belt touches or crosses the child’s neck, the child should NOT
be carried in the Elise.
WARNING:
• Children should not be carried in the Elise unless they are large enough to be able properly to use the standard
seat belt without any child seat or booster seat.
• Child restraint systems (other than belt positioning booster seats) are designed to be secured in the car seat
by the lap belt portion of the lap/shoulder belt. READ
ALL INSTRUCTIONS THAT ACCOMPANY THE CHILD RESTRAINT OR BOOSTER SEAT.
• I n f a n t s w h o a r e u n a b l e t o s i t u p b y t h e m s e l v e s ,

unsupported, should NOT be carried in the Elise.
• Never put a rear-facing child seat in the passenger seat
of the Elise. If the airbag inflates, it can hit the child or
the back of the child seat with enough force to kill or very seriously injure an infant.
• There is no provision on the Elise to switch off or disable
the passenger airbag.
WARNING: Children who are not properly restrained can be killed
or seriously injured in an accident.
Seating & Safety Restraints
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Behaviour: It is essential that the behaviour of any child trav-
elling in the car is such that they remain correctly seated and belted, and it is the responsibility of the driver to ensure that
this occurs.
The following wording has been included to comply with
National Highway Traffic Safety Authority requirements,
however;
WARNING: Lotus str ongly recommen ds that you do not fit any type
of child seat into the Elise due to the risk of death or seri
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ous injury if the c hild is too close to the dashboard when
the airbag inflates.
Procedure for Proper Fitment of For ward- Facing Child
Seat
A utomatic Locking Retractor: The safety belt for the passen-
ger’s seat is equipped with an automatic locking retractor that
must be used for securing a forward-facing child restraint sy
s-
tem. When activated , this retractor allows you to securely fas
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ten the child restraint system.
Activating the Automatic Retracto r:
1. Pull the passenger seat safety belt completely
out . At this
point, the locking mechanism is activated.
2.
P lace the forward-facing child seat in the passenger seat,
using the safety belt to secure the child seat,
fo llowing the
instructions that come with the child seat
.
3. Insert the safety tongu e into the buckle and make sure that
it is properl y latched.
4. Allow the safety belt to retract until it is tight on the child seat.
You may further tighten the belt by pulling on it to allow more of
it to retract. Check to make sure the child seat is secured, and
that the belt is snug and will not pull out.
Releasing the safety bel t and child seat:
1. Unbuckle the safety belt. 2. Remove the child seat.
3. Make sure that the belt has fully retracted. At this point the
automatic locking feature is disengaged.
Seating & Safety Restraints
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Seating & Safety Restraints
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Interior LampThe interior lamp is located centrally in the rear bulkhead trim
panel, and incorporates a three position rocking lens:
• Lens rocked upwards; lamp is switched off.
NOTICE:
Use this position only temporarily as required. Arm-
ing the security alarm system with the lamp switched off may
exclude the doors from activating the alarm.
• Lens central; lamp is switched on with or without ignition.
NOTICE: To guard against flattening the battery, take care
not to leave the lamp on when parking the car, or to switch
it on accidentally when using the storage space behind the
seats.
• Lens rocked downwards; a courtesy mode applies, where the
lamp is switched on whenever a door is opened, and goes out when both doors are closed. This is the normal position
and should be used whenever leaving the car.
Sun Visors To help reduce sun glare, pivoted visors are provided for both
driver and passenger. Swing down the visor from the windscreen
header rail as required.
Entry & Comfort
41
INTERIOR LAMP SWITCHING

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Seat Belt Tell Tale
The red seat belt tell tale is provided as a reminder that both
driver and passenger should always wear the seat belts, no
matter how short the journey. The lamp will flash until the driv
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er’s seat belt is fastened, accompanied for the first 8 seconds by a buzzer.
Brake Tell Tale
This tell tale will glow red with the ignition switched on
whenever the parking brake is applied. Driving the car with the brake not fully released will cause overheat damage to the rear
brakes. Each time the parking brake is released, check that the
tell tale is extinguished. With the parking brake released, if the tell tale should light
at any time after the six second check period, stop the car im
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mediately, as the circuit has detected a dangerously low level of brake fluid in the master cylinder reservoir, possibly caused
by a hydraulic leak in one of the separate front or rear brake
circuits. In the event of a leak there is a danger that air may enter the hydraulic system and cause spongy operation and
extended pedal travel. The divided brake circuit should ensure
that emergency braking remains, but the car should not be driven until the fault has been identified and rectified.
WARNING: If the tell tale remains lit when the parking brake has been
released, the footbrake may not be working properly. Stop
the car immediately it is safe to do so, and do not continue until the fault has been rectified. Continuing to drive could cause a crash and result in death or serious injury.
Oil Pressure Tell Tale
This red tell tale warns of low engine oil pressure. The lamp
will be lit whenever the ignition is on and the engine is stopped, but should go out as soon as the engine is started. If the lamp
fails to go out after engine start up, or comes on when the engine is running, stop the engine immediately and do not restart until
the cause has been investigated and rectified.
Instruments & Switches
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Parking BrakeThe parking brake, which operates on only the rear wheels
is applied by a hand lever mounted between the seats. A red
tell tale icon in the instrument cluster warns of parking brake application (see ‘Tell Tale Lamps’). The brake should be applied by pulling up the lever with high
effort, and engaging the highest ratchet setting attainable. When
parking the car on a slope take the additional precaution of leav
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ing the transmission in first (facing downhill) or reverse (facing uphill) gear and steering the wheels towards the kerb.
WARNING: If the parking brake is applied when the brakes are hot
(e.g. after prolonged or frequent hard use), special care
should be taken to ensure that the parking brake is securely engaged in order to allow for any potential brake force
reduction as the discs cool. Failure to do so may result in
the car rolling away and causing an accident in which you
or others may be killed or seriously injured.
To release the brake, pull up the lever, press and hold the
release button in the end of the handgrip, and lower the lever fully.
Before driving off, always check that the parking brake has been
fully released, as confirmed by the tell tale icon being turned off,
or damage to the brake system may be caused. Note that the parking brake uses a cable mechanism to
apply the rear brake calipers, and is totally independent of the
footbrake hydraulic circuit.
Driving Controls
70
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PARKING BRAKE LEVER

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Upholstery Cleaning
Cloth Trim:
Normal cleaning consists of an occasional light wipe
over with a cloth dampened in a mild soap and water solution; it
is important that the cloth is only dampened, not soaked. Alter
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natively, a proprietary upholstery cleaner may be used.
Leather Trim:
The leather should be wiped over occasionally with
a cloth dampened in warm soapy water. Use a mild, non-caustic
toilet soap or soap flakes. Repeat the operation using a fresh
cloth and water only, but avoid flooding the leather. Finish by drying and polishing with a soft dry cloth. The manufacturers
of the leather do not recommend the use of any hide 'food',
and prohibit the use of petrol or detergents, furniture creams

and polishes.
NOTICE: Lotus cars are upholstered with premium quality
leather specifically tanned and dyed for automotive use. As a
natural material, leather ages in various ways and may, over time,
exhibit signs of cracking, scuffing, shrinking, etc. Such wear is not an indication of a defect, but rather the natural maturing of
the leather.
Seat Belts Cleaning The seat belts may be sponged with warm water and should
be allowed to air dry naturally before use. Do not use chemical
cleaners and never attempt to bleach or dye the webbing.
Footwell Cleaning Each time the car is washed, the footwell carpet mats should
be lifted and the floor surface cleaned and dried.
NOTICE: Use only correctly retained Lotus approved carpet mats in the footwells. Floor coverings made from plastic or other
non-breathable materials may trap moisture and initiate surface
corrosion of the footwell floors. Any damage caused by the use of incorrect mats will not be covered by your Limited Warranty.
Servicing & Maintenance
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